Humane way to put a chick down?

[tackleberry]

Drowning and freezing are not nice ways to die. For people or animals. Do whatever you have to to make it QUICK. Death is never easy but in this life, we are all accompanied by the man in black.

 

[Island Roo]

Drowning and freezing are not nice ways to die. For people or animals. Do whatever you have to to make it QUICK. Death is never easy but in this life, we are all accompanied by the man in black.

I'll add suffocation (plastic bag) to that list of non-humane methods

 

[Ellaluvsbirds]

Had to do this few weeks ago. I just gave a quick pull and a twist to its neck. It's mess free and it is a very quick death.

 

[Annalea]

Just wanted to add: A hawk injured, but did not kill or carry off, one of our three-week-old chicks today, leaving it paralyzed and with a deep puncture wound. I'm using the CO2 chamber method from the Walden Effect blog linked above. I don't want my children to be comfortable with taking life in violent ways, so this is the route we're taking.

 

[CrazyTalk]

http://www.waldeneffect.org/how_to_cull_chicks/

Here is a guide for euthanizing with carbon dioxide. It is humane and although having to cull a chick is never easy, it is simple.

Decapitation is effective, but some don't have the heart for it.

Freezing or drowning a chick are not humane methods.

It's more hands-off, and easier for squeamish people, but it's not nearly as humane as the other methods.


Chicken (and human) bodies don't really monitor O2 - they monitor CO2 in the blood - when CO2 levels get too high there's a panic and stress reaction - it's like drowning without the water. If you want to gas things - use something like nitrogen gas.

 

[Ashley & Donna Dame]

Sorry to hear...I put mine in a paper bag and place it in the freezer...

How is that humane?

 

[Silverlilly1]

Thank you for this thread, however old it is. I have a chick that hatched with oversized dimensions that has barely opened its eyes in the last 36 hours and spends all its time flopped out on the ground. Doesn’t even lay on its front since the first day, it’s just laying on its side and peeping and flopping. Try to give it a drink and it starts up and then flops back. Tries to avoid some things, but just in a flopping way. This chick is not going to make it and it’s hurting my heart to listen to it peep and flop around in the box. I’m trying to steel myself to end its life to avoid prolonging its suffering and having it starve to death.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Thank you for this thread, however old it is. I have a chick that hatched with oversized dimensions that has barely opened its eyes in the last 36 hours and spends all its time flopped out on the ground. Doesn’t even lay on its front since the first day, it’s just laying on its side and peeping and flopping. Try to give it a drink and it starts up and then flops back. Tries to avoid some things, but just in a flopping way. This chick is not going to make it and it’s hurting my heart to listen to it peep and flop around in the box. I’m trying to steel myself to end its life to avoid prolonging its suffering and having it starve to death.

I agree with you, do the humane thing. Starvation hurts, and is a painful long drawn out process. Please don't drown it though, that is very scary and painful in a burning sensation of the lungs - I know this 1st hand from my childhood and am lucky to be alive to tell the tale.